Skype for Web beta launches for all US and UK users

Skype for Web? You beta believe it

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Microsoft’s Skype is making it a little easier for you to connect your audio and video calls, opening Skype for Web (beta) to all US and UK users.

The driving force for Skype for Web is quick and easy access to your conversations without having to download an app. The company says that this service is “perfect if you normally use Skype on your mobile,” because it is made to “quickly get your calls and IMs on a bigger screen.”

The company also says that Skype’s web-based video call service is a step towards making “Real-Time-Communications (RTC) on the web a reality”; basically, conversation with virtually no latency.

The popularity and simplicity of Google Hangouts could also be motivating Microsoft to create an easier way to access your Skype calls. Undoubtedly, downloading an app has its benefits, like added security and receiving incoming calls, but the convenience of video chatting from the web can’t be ignored.

You’re not quite off the download hook yet, though. To use Skype for Web you have to download a browser plug-in, but this is much simpler than the app installation process, especially on public computers.

Skype for Web is available for Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, and presumably Microsoft Edge when it launches in July. Remember that Skype for Web is still in beta testing, so some less-than-perfect features are sure to be fixed in time. Microsoft says the rollout of Skype for Web will continue “over the next few weeks.”